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Computer-Assisted Careers
Guidance Systems and
Organisational Change
a b
James P. Sampson Jr. & A. G. Watts
a
Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling
and Career Development Florida State University ,
USA
b
National Institute for Careers Education and
Counselling
Published online: 28 Sep 2010.
To cite this article: James P. Sampson Jr. & A. G. Watts (1992) Computer-Assisted
Careers Guidance Systems and Organisational Change, British Journal of Guidance &
Counselling, 20:3, 328-343, DOI: 10.1080/03069889208253630
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Computer-Assisted Careers Guidance Systems and Organisational
Change
J a m e s P. Sampson. Jr. Center for the Study of Technology in
Counseling and Career Development
Florida State University, USA
room were identified; and (4) questions were raised about the philosophical
orientation of the careers service. A further analysis of PROSPECT (HE)
pilot evaluation data (Watts et al., 1989b) revealed that PROSPECT use had
exposed the need for staff to work more collaboratively in the delivery of
services, and had resulted in some role confusion among staff.
Understanding the potential influence of CACG systems on organis-
ational functioning is particularly important during the implementation
process. Problems related to implementation remain a major barrier to the
effective use of CACG systems (Bluhm, 1988; Rayman, 1989; Sampson,
1984; Sampson and Reardon, 1991; Walz, 1984; 1987). Sampson etal. (1987)
reported that only 39% of institutions using DISCOVER and SIGI surveyed
in the United States had adopted a formal plan for CACG implementation.
Harris-Bowlsbey (1990) suggested that substantial effort should be directed
toward the development of specific and concrete implementation models.
This need was echoed by system developers and practitioners at a recent
conference on improving the design and use of CACG systems (Sampson et
a/., 1991).
The importance of understanding the potential impact of CACG systems
on organisations is emphasised further when these systems are viewed as an
agent of organisational change. Watts (1986; 1990) suggested that in ad-
dition to conceiving CACG systems as a tool that supplements other tools
used in providing guidance, or as an alternative to guidance services, CACG
systems can be used as an agent of change to engage intentionally in
organisational development. Ballantine and Watts (1989) stated that ‘in
order to gain significant advantage, the technology should be viewed as a
means to facilitate change in the structure of the organisation in such a way
as to improve the service it offers in a manner not possible without the
technology’ (p. 18). Examples of organisational change associated with
CACG system use could include: increased emphasis on the provision of
systematic group-based interventions; increased emphasis on student self-
directed use of self-assessment and information resources; increased student
use of existing print-based information materials; re-examination of the
facilitative role of the information officer or careers librarian; re-
Sample
The sample for this study was six institutions which had been using PROS-
PECT ( H E ) over a period of 28 months. PROSPECT is a major new CACG
system which currently consists of nine modules: Planning Your Career,
Assessing Yourself. Searching Occupations, Analysing Occupations,
Evaluating Your Options, Estimating Your Chances, Planning for Entry.
Hunting for Jobs, and Applying for Jobs. It is capable of being used on a
stand-alone basis, although it is expected to be most effective when fully
integrated into the facilities offered by careers services (Pierce-Price, 1983;
1988). The six institutions were identical to the sample used in the PROS-
PECT ( H E ) pilot evaluation (Watts e f al., 198%; 1989b; 1991). They
comprised: Aston University. Brighton Polytechnic, the Polytechnic of
Central London. the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, the University of
Sussex, and the University of Warwick. These sites had been selected from
23 applicants on the basis of representing diversity in institutional type
Procedures
A letter was sent to the head of the careers service at each pilot site,
informing them of the nature of the study and requesting participation of
ated with using PROSPECT within their careers service during and since the
pilot evaluation; and (4) respond (‘yes’ or ‘no’) to a listing of 24 anticipated
future examples of organisational change associated with using PROSPECT
within their careers service. In this way, unbiased responses were obtained,
while at the same time subsequent prompting was provided so that staff
could consider a full range of possible organisational change associated with
use of CACG systems. The 24 examples of potential organisational change
were derived from PROSPECT pilot evaluation data and the experience of
the investigators.
Results
Staff perceptions, without prompting from the interviewer, regarding the
organisational changes associated with use of PROSPECT within their
careers service during and since the pilot evaluation are synthesised in table
1 in terms of actual and potential changes respectively. Staff comments were
extempore as there was no prompting that would have suggested CACG
system impact. Similar perceptions have been logically categorised to aid the
reader in interpreting the data. and an indication has been made of the
number of respondents who made each comment. Within each category, the
data are ordered from most common to least common in occurrence.
Tuhle I. Staff perceptions of actual and potential organisational change associated with
PROSPECT (without prompting from the interviewer)
Actual Potenrial
clirrrige clzange
0 1) friJ A’arure of orgariisarioricil change
-
23 22 Change associarrd nith ihe delir,ery qf rervices
the country.
S6% 86% Change in roles among staff.
86% 7 1'"0 Deletion of other computer applications for student use.
79% 7 1O h Change in allocation of space in the information room.
7I "u 7906 Increase or decrease in services offered. such as individual
interviews. group work. or walk-in use of the information
room.
71"o 79 % Change in the content of particular services. such as interviews
or group work.
Change in the total amount o f space needed.
Positive or negative changes in staff attitude towards their work.
Change in staff time spent discussing careers-service goals.
Increase in level of student demand for services.
Change in the nature of space needed. such as more open spaces
rather than interview rooms.
Change in the nature of students served, such as serving more
first-. second-. and/or final-year students.
57% 64"/o Change in the nature of information available in the information
room.
5 7 Yl 86% Change in the general visibility of the careers service.
50"% 64 "(0 Change in the scheme for organising information in the
information room
36% 57% Change in staff behaviour in completing work tasks.
36% 79% Change in priorities for hiring future staff.
36% 64"10 Addition of other computer applications for student use.
36% 93"h Change in the amount of co-ordinated efforts amongst
organisational units within the institution, such ac academic
departments.
24% 79YO Change in the budget for training. information resources. etc.
N o r e . Total n = 14 (as for table I ) .
Table 3: Percentage of agreement (either ‘yes’ or ‘no’) among staff concerning perceptions of
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the actual and potential organisational change associated with PROSPECT, by institution
(with prompting from the interviewer)
Actual Potential
change change Insrifuriori
71% 67% Aston University
70% 79% Brighton Polytechnic
7.5% 33% Polytechnic of Central London
63Yo 83% University of Newcastle upon Tyne
46 Yo 42% University of Sussex
50% 75% University of Warwick
64% 63% All institutions combined
Note: Total n = 14 (as for table 1).
Table 4: Percentage of items endorsed ‘yes’, indicating actual and potential organisational
change associated with PROSPECT, by institution (with prompting from the interviewer)
Actual Potential
change change Institution
60% 67% Aston University
6.5Yo 85Yo Brighton Polytechnic
67% 71% Polytechnic of Central London
81Yo 94% University of Newcastle upon Tyne
63% 76% University of Sussex
63Yo 88% University of Warwick
67% 80% All institutions combined
~~~ ~
Table 5: Percentage of items endorsed 'yes', indicating actual and potential organisational
change associated with PROSPECT, by staff role (with prompting from the interviewer)
Acrual Porential
cliatiye tlriirige Sraff role
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of actual change ranged from 65% to 71%, with all institutions combined at
67%. Potential change ranged from 75% to 86%, with all institutions
combined at 80%.
Discussion
The first goal of this study was to provide data to assist careers-service staff
to anticipate the organisational changes associated with use of a CACG
system. While cultural. economic, and political factors are likely to moder-
ate the specific extent and nature of such changes, the data from the study
provide a starting point for identifying potential areas of change.
The actual organisational changes associated with PROSPECT can be
generally categorised as relating to the delivery of services, to organisational
processes. or to staff members. In terms of service-delivery change, trends
were noted towards: (1) increased student use of information resources in
the information room: (2) a reduced emphasis on individual interviewing;
and (3) an enhanced capacity to deal with diversc student needs. Trends in
organisational-process change included: (1) the encouragement of a re-
evaluation of careers guidance theory and practice; (2) the encouragement
of a reevaluation of the information room; (3) a reinforcement of the
current model and philosophy espoused by the careers service; and (4)a
stimulus for staff training. Trends associated with change for staff members
included: (1) an increase in the time careers advisers spent in the infor-
mation room: and (2) an improved attitude toward computer applications.
The potential organisational changes associated with PROSPECT can
also be classified within the same three categories. In terms of service-
delivery change, trends were noted toward: (1) a greater use of group
interventions; (2) more co-operative service-delivery efforts with academic
departments; ( 3 ) an increase in computer-delivered provision of local
The third goal of the study was to provide data to assist careers-service
staff to intentionally use the implementation of a CACG system as an
opportunity for organisational development. Several of the changes noted
have strategic implications that are relevant to the strategic-planning pro-
cess for careers services described by Watts and Sampson (1989) and
Peterson ef af. (1991). Change options identified that have particular
strategic-planning implications include: (1) enhanced capacity to deal with
diverse student needs: (2) co-operative efforts with academic departments;
(3) increased provision of local information: (4) increased student demand;
( 5 ) increased space needed in the information room; and (6) increased need
for financial resources.
It is important to note some cautions in interpreting the data from this
study. First. it is likely that the process for selecting institutions to partici-
pate in the pilot evaluation of PROSPECT (HE) influenced the results of the
study. The SIX institutions were selected partly on the basis that they wanted
to implement PROSPECT and to participate in the pilot evaluation, thus
indicating a readiness for organisational change that might well be greater
than that to be found in the typical careers service. During the phone
interviews, four of the heads of service commented that use of PROSPECT
helped the careers service to achieve goals that had been established before
the pilot study began; only one site co-ordinator commented that use of
PROSPECT facilitated exploration of new goals for the careers service. On
the other hand. the period of uncertainty concerning the management and
future development of PROSPECT may have served at least partially to
counteract this potential influence of the selection process on the study’s
results.
Second. in four of the pilot sites, a change occurred in the leadership of the
careers service from the time of the beginning of the pilot evaluation through
to the completion of the present study. These four new heads of service
seemed likely to have encouraged organisational changes that were parallel
to the changes resulting from the use of PROSPECT. It is not possible to
identify the relative contribution to organisational change that resulted from
the use of PROSPECT as opposed to the new appointments and indeed to
other factors.
careers service; (2) institutional size; (3) financial resources available to the
careers service, (4) anticipated v. unanticipated need to change; ( 5 ) amount
of time spent in planning how best to integrate the system with existing and
potential service-delivery options; and (6) cultural, economic, and political
factors.
It would also be important to investigate whether or not the organisational
changes identified in this study occurred as a result of factors unrelated to
PROSPECT, e.g. would the trend towards increased use of groups have
occurred anyway, due to increasing demand and/or decreasing resources?
Also, organisational change is not inherently positive in and of itself. To
what extent do staff implementing systems like PROSPECT (HE) perceive
the changes as appropriate or inappropriate for their organisation? Finally,
what type of change occurred in individual staff members as a result of using
PROSPECT (HE), as opposed to change in the organisation in general?
How much and what type of individual change is necessary prior to the more
general perception that the organisation has changed? In terms of research
methodology, a combination of correlational and case-study designs would
be needed to explore these questions fully.
Conclusion
The use of PROSPECT (HE) by the six careers services represented in this
study was associated with important and varied change within the organis-
ations. Some of the changes had strategic implications for the relationship
between the careers services and their institutions. In general, it is likely that
computer-assisted careers guidance systems have a varying degree of organ-
isational impact, ranging from minimal to substantial, depending on the
extent to which organisational culture and situational factors (such as
staffing changes) support or inhibit change. A CACG system that is im-
plemented as a replacement for counsellors and is then ‘forgotten about’
(Rayman, 1989, p.3) will have little appreciable influence on organisational
functioning, while CACG systems that are actively sought by staff to
enhance careers services (as was the case in this study) will tend to have a
more significant influence.The study supports the notion that a reciprocal
relationship exists between CACG systems and the organisations that use
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